Bus loses tire on Hwy 101, sparks several fires

Several grass fires were sparked along Highway 101 Tuesday when one of the tires on a Greyhound bus blew out, according to the Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department.

The bus, that appeared to be empty of passengers, was headed north near Calpella when one of the tires on its left side caught fire. RVCFD Chief Tom Hession said "burning debris from the tire then sparked multiple roadside vegetation fires for about two miles."

Most of the fires were relatively small and inside the highway median, but the largest was near the Central Avenue overpass.

Once the burning tire was extinguished, Greyhound employees said they planned to repair the vehicle. They declined to provide further details.

No injuries were reported, and more information was unavailable from the California Highway Patrol, which also responded to the incident.